By MOSES K. GAHIGI

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As countries extend lockdowns to check the spread of Covid-19, it means we have a long way to go before life goes back to normal. As families are stuck indoors, home-cooked meals are getting all the attention.

Phionah Ninsiima, a Rwandan professional chef has made it her mission to help people enjoy home-cooked meals, by innovating and introducing new recipes from locally available ingredients.

Her YouTube channel, Kula Bridge, through which she takes viewers through a step-by-step process of cooking tasty and nutritious meals using ingredients from local markets.

Although a professional chef, her background is in economics; she graduated in culinary arts from the Sol International University in South Korea, and gained hands-on experience at the Grosvenor and Le Royale Meriden hotels in Dubai.

She is currently practicing in Rwanda.

“My goal is to restore the relationship people have with food by teaching them recipes that use every day ingredients found in our local markets and supermarkets. I am also keen on balancing nutrition and taste,” she said.

She realised people don't take into consideration nutritional value of the meals they have, while others only focus on nutrients and not the taste.

“People who want to learn how to cook go on YouTube or Google but the recipes there don't make sense in the local context,” she said.

She is currently doing a seven-day breakdown for ideas on quick breakfasts using easily accessible and inexpensive ingredients, while in lockdown.

Required nutrients

In one of the recipes, she makes oat balls using oats, honey and homemade peanut butter, which she serves alongside carrots and pineapples, a recipe she recommends for children.

Another involves pumpkin, sweet potatoes, ground nuts and milk, which she designs in a way that includes all the needed nutrients.

She also made one with mixed vegetables and left over chicken cubes and fruits, while another simple breakfast recipe had toasted bread on a usual pan, avocado, tomatoes and sesame seeds.

Nyama choma

Some people are nursing incredible cravings for their usual grilled chicken, nyama choma or grilled pork, and Ninsiima also has these covered.

For her Easter holiday special recipe, she demonstrated how to grill delicious chicken in the oven at home for special celebrations during lockdown, or if one wants to satisfy those cravings.